Journalism II: Course Outline

Course Length: 1 Year

Prerequisites: A or B in Journalism I

Textbooks: English, Earl and Hach, Clarence. Scholastic Journalism. Iowa State University Press. Ames, Iowa 1996. Goldstein, Norm, Ed. The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Perseus: Reading, Massachusetts 1998. Harrower, Tim. The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook. McGraw-Hill: Boston 1998.

Course Description: The course is intended to extend students’ knowledge of journalism through a study of advanced feature writing, advanced desktop publishing, and advertising. Journalism II students are expected to act as editors and to oversee production of the Pawprint.

Grading: Grades fall into 3 categories:  Process (40%) This grade will reflect your in-class work habits and ability to meet deadlines. Remember that on a newspaper, assignments are due whether or not you are sick. The paper must go to press on time. Therefore, if you are sick, you must make sure you send your story with a friend, be prepared to make up time after school, or do whatever it takes to meet your deadlines. Grades will be recorded on a monthly grade sheet.  Product (40%) These grades will come from your final products: pages, stories, pictures, art, charts, mailings, post mortems, etc. Grades will be recorded on a monthly grade sheet.  Practice (20%) These grades will come mostly from practice exercises at the beginning of the year. They will also include occasional assignments we do throughout the year. Grades will be recorded on the exercise itself.

Deadlines: If you do not meet your deadline, the grade for your page / story / picture will be reduced by one letter for each day the assignment is late. Name of that tune: Don’t Be Late!

Course Outcomes: Each student is expected to be able to take a managing (editorial) position on the paper, running day-to-day operations, overseeing younger staff members, making editorial decisions, and solving problems as they arise.

Course Objectives: Each student should be able to: 1. Write in-depth (600+ words) stories and features. 2. Work with other editors to plan each issue and assign stories to staff members, using their knowledge of news values, press law, and ethics. 3. Edit stories for style, organization, and content. 4. Design and lay out pages using InDesign. 5. Carry out their special function on the staff without supervision (layout, photo manipulation, printing, waxing, paste-up). 6. Sell and design an advertisement using InDesign & Illustrator.

Program Objectives: Students who complete Journalism II should be prepared to enter a journalism program in college or to work on a college newspaper.